QUEEN HEDWIGE RECEIVES
Obedient to the Grand Chamberlain's invitation, the assembled guests
passed into the great gallery at the end of which an immense salon was
seen, still empty; it was the room in which the Queen held her
drawing-room.
It was sparsely furnished; a large gilded armchair, which was really a
throne, stood at the farther end between two windows; the floor was
waxed until it shone, and the surface was so slippery that Juve felt
some fear of mishaps.
First came the guard with a clatter of sabres, then two heralds, and
finally Her Majesty Hedwige, Queen of Hesse-Weimar, who proceeded to the
throne and sat down.
She was a little body with a pinched and nervous expression of face. She
trotted along like an old woman, her shoulders hunched up, and
distributed nods right and left in response to the profound bows of her
courtiers.
This was not in the least as Juve had pictured her. He had seen her a
dozen years previously, when she was a young girl engaged to
Frederick-Christian; she had then appeared charming, and majestic in
bearing. Now she looked like a woman of the middle class, bourgeois from
head to heels.
Near the throne stood two officers in gala uniform, while the guard
formed a circle round the throne.
The audience began.
The first Chamberlain called out a name, and a matron, after making the
three traditional courtseys, came forward and chatted in a low voice
with the Queen. Juve was observing the ceremony with interest, when his
reflections were cut short by a voice calling:
"Monsieur le Comte de Juff!"
The detective, slightly intimidated, advanced toward the sovereign,
while the grand Chamberlain leaned over and whispered his name and rank
to the Queen.
"Monsieur le Comte de Juff," said the Queen in a little tinkling voice,
"I am very happy to meet you. I congratulate you upon your travels. I am
especially interested in the natives of Africa. We had a negro village
here a few years ago ... hadn't we, M. von Kampfen?"
"Quite true, your Majesty," replied the Chamberlain, bowing deeply. The
Queen turned again to Juve:
"I congratulate you, Monsieur, and I beg you to persevere in the work to
which your special aptitude calls you."
The interview was at an end, and Juve was left wondering whether he
should leave the room. The Chamberlain signed to him to retire behind
the throne, where he found the amiable Mme. Heberlauf.
Juve, now standing quite close to the Queen, was enabled to overhear the
next interview; with an old professor this time--Professor Muller. The
Queen said:
"I am very happy to meet you. I congratulate you upon your pupils. I am
especially interested in scholars."
Then turning to the Chamberlain:
"We have some very excellent schools here, have we not, Monsieur
Kampfen?"
"Quite true, your Majesty."
"I congratulate you. Can I beg you to persevere in the work to which
your special aptitude calls you?"
It was all Juve could do to keep from bursting into laughter.
The same speech was being made to a couple of young girls who were
making their debut at the Court, when the circle round the Queen noticed
that she was growing uneasy and preoccupied. Finally she turned to her
first maid of honor, and cried in a sharp tone:
"Really, Madame, it is extraordinary that the electric lights should
have been turned on while it is still daylight!... Kindly see that they
are extinguished."
The first maid of honor, very embarrassed, passed along the order to the
second maid of honor, who in turn hunted up the lady of the household,
who relaid the message to the captain of the guard, and while he went in
search of the proper subordinate, the attention of the Court was
distracted by the entrance of an individual to whom everybody paid the
greatest deference.
The Chamberlain announced:
"His Highness, Prince Gudulfin!"
The Prince was a distinguished looking young man of twenty-five,
clean-shaven and dressed with extreme care and richness of attire.
He presented a great contrast to his cousin, the Queen of Hesse-Weimar,
and as he approached the throne, his head high and a sarcastic smile on
his lips, Hedwige seemed to shrink into her armchair, unable to meet the
look in his eyes.
The suppressed hatred of the reigning dynasty for the younger branch was
of ancient date and a matter of common knowledge. The recent and
prolonged absence of Frederick-Christian had given Prince Gudulfin the
opportunity by which he had profited to advance his claims and conspire
for the overthrow of the Government, with himself as the King of
Hesse-Weimar.
Therefore his presence was regarded as a great piece of audacity, and
every eye was watching how the Prince would be received. The question in
every mind was whether the Grand Duchess Alexandra, a woman of majestic
presence and great beauty, would also appear. Prince Gudulfin had been
paying her conspicuous attentions, and it was rumored that the Duchess
dreamed of a nobler crown than the one her rank gave her title to bear.
The appearance of the two at the Queen's reception! What a scandal! But
with the presence of the Prince came definite word that the Duchess had
excused herself on the ground of a severe headache, a pretext which
deceived nobody.
Prince Gudulfin, after observing the correct formalities, stood before
the Queen waiting for the invitation to sit by her side.
Hedwige, still preoccupied by the electric lights, seemed to have
forgotten him, and the situation was fast becoming embarrassing for the
Prince, who could neither go nor stay. It was not long, however, before
he saw what was troubling the Queen, and stepping aside he turned off
the lights.
"There is no such thing as unnecessary economy, is there, cousin?" he
murmured with a smile.
Hedwige blushed and gave him a furious look. She then proffered the
tardy invitation to sit by her side. As the audience came to a close,
the Queen in a loud voice announced:
"I wish to inform you that I have received news of the King. His Majesty
is well and is in Paris. He will return very soon."
The Queen's guard now led the way back to the private apartments,
followed by the maids of honor, and then the Queen herself hurried off
as though glad to be finished with the whole affair.
Juve, an attentive listener to the numberless intrigues on foot on every
side, divined the comedies and tragedies which underlay this little
Court, more gossipy and vulgar than a servant's parlor. Especially he
noted the frequent and bitter allusions to the perpetual trips of the
King to Paris. These cost the royal treasury a pretty penny, and for the
twentieth time Juve heard references to a certain red diamond belonging
to Frederick-Christian. He had known for a long time that such a diamond
was numbered among the crown jewels, and that it was supposed to
represent a value of several millions, but he had imagined it was kept
in a place of safety. Now he learned that the King was suspected of
having pawned it to raise money. With his most innocent air, he
questioned one of the officers.
"I should think it a very simple matter to find out whether the King
took the diamond with him. It must surely be in the keeping of loyal and
tried officials."
The officer smiled:
"My dear Count, it is easily seen that you come from the depths of
Africa. Otherwise you would know that the diamond is hidden in the
private apartments of the King--nobody knows where, not even the Queen.
You may easily divine the uneasiness of the people and the advantage the
affair gives to Prince Gudulfin."
Juve now felt that the King was still in Paris. The problem thus far had
become clearer. But under what conditions was he living? It was quite
possible that he had been kidnapped by some person who knew of the
diamond's existence.
While pondering these matters, Juve had unconsciously wandered away from
the salon and now found himself in the ante-room on the ground floor.
Here he came face to face with Mme. Heberlauf, who was accompanied by a
white-haired old man whom she at once introduced.
"Count de Juff, let me present the Dean of the Court, the Burgomaster of
Rung Cassel ..."
"The deuce!" thought Juve, "a bore, by the look of him!"
Escape was hopeless, the Burgomaster seized the detective by the arm and
announced:
"I am the author of a work in 25 volumes on "The History of the Dark
Continent." Now I hear that you have just returned from a journey of
exploration in Africa and ..."
The old historian dragged Juve into the Palace gardens and the latter
thought:
"Hang it, I couldn't have pitched on a worse introduction, I don't know
the first thing about Africa."
But the author of the 25 volumes quickly set him at ease. For he began
by admitting that he himself had never set foot out of Glotzbourg.
Under these circumstances Juve recovered his nerve and glibly discussed
the peculiarities of the African fauna.
* * * * *
An hour later the two men were still talking, but this time it was Juve
who was anxious to keep the conversation going. The good Burgomaster
had drifted into gossip about the affairs of the Kingdom; suddenly he
turned to the detective with a question:
"Do you believe in this story about a visit to Paris?"
Juve hesitated and then made an ambiguous reply.
The Burgomaster continued:
"Personally, I don't. You see, my windows look toward the large
octagonal wing in which are the apartments of the King. Now, for the
past week I have noticed strange lights moving about in these supposedly
empty rooms, and I have a notion that our dear King Frederick-Christian
is very far from being in Paris. In fact, I think he is held a prisoner
in his own Palace!
"Ah, Monsieur, you cannot imagine the intrigues which are being hatched
against that noble heart; the black wickedness of the soul of Prince
Gudulfin, hidden under the exterior of his seductive person!"
Juve was impressed. He was inclined to give some credence to the
suppositions of the Burgomaster. For, after all, his search in Paris for
the King had been without result and he had had the presentiment that
his trip to Hesse-Weimar would throw some light upon the strange
disappearance of the monarch.
So, while the old man was talking, Juve carefully noted in his mind the
minutest architectural details of the octagonal tower which stood out
clearly against the sky.